About us
How we got here
Community Solar didn't happen overnight.
New Orleanians have long faced some of the nation’s highest electricity cost burdens.
In 2018, the New Orleans City Council created a community solar program to help residents lower their electricity bills and benefit from clean energy without installing solar panels on their homes. But the original rules made it difficult to develop financially viable projects, and no community solar projects were built.
Together New Orleans believed the promise of community solar was too important to abandon.
Working alongside residents, member institutions, energy experts, City Council members, and other partners, TNO organized a multi-year campaign to improve the program. The coalition commissioned independent studies, convened stakeholders, testified at public meetings, and worked with policymakers to develop rules that could deliver meaningful savings for residents while making community solar projects financially viable.
Those efforts resulted in major rule changes adopted by the New Orleans City Council in 2023, helping clear the way for community solar projects to move forward.
Sisters of the Holy Family
Sisters of the Holy Family, an African American congregation founded by Venerable Henriette Delille, have served New Orleans for generations through education, faith, and community service. Their mission is rooted in compassion, justice, and the empowerment of the poor and powerless.
By making their land available for Sisters Community Solar, the Sisters are carrying that mission into the future—using a resource they have stewarded for generations to help lower electricity bills, expand access to clean energy, and create lasting community benefit.
Sisters Community Solar is named in honor of their extraordinary legacy of faith and service to New Orleans.
Together New Orleans
Together New Orleans is a broad-based organization of religious congregations, unions, neighborhood associations, and other community institutions from across the greater New Orleans area, with a common mission to address issues facing our families.
TNO brings people together across race, faith, neighborhood, income, and political affiliation to build relationships, develop leaders, and act together on the issues shaping daily life in our city.
Community Solar is one example of that work. TNO organized residents, brought together diverse partners, and worked with City Council and energy experts to help make Community Solar a reality in New Orleans.
Community Benefits
More than clean energy.
Together New Orleans worked to ensure that Sisters Community Solar delivers benefits that stay in our community.
Construction includes partnerships with local unions, including IBEW Local 130 and IUOE Local 406, to perform key portions of the work. These partnerships support good-paying jobs and apprenticeship opportunities, giving workers hands-on experience building solar infrastructure and developing skills for careers in Louisiana’s growing clean-energy economy.
Project Partners
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127 Energy
Developing and building Sisters Community Solar.
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IUOE Local 406
Providing skilled equipment operators and supporting apprenticeship opportunities.
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Together New Orleans
A broad-based coalition that organized the community campaign to make Community Solar possible in New Orleans.
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Sisters of the Holy Family
Providing the land for Sisters Community Solar and extending their long legacy of service in New Orleans.
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IBEW Local 130
Performing key portions of the electrical construction work.
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Neighborhood Sun
Managing subscriber enrollment and ongoing subscriber support.
Check your eligibility, join the priority list to save on energy